Pacifica Law Group is pleased to announce that Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Pacifica Managing Partner Denise Stiffarm to the University of Washington Board of Regents, the administrative body charged with governing Washington’s oldest public university.
Stiffarm is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, and previously served on and chaired the University of Washington President’s Minority Community Advisory Committee.
“I hold great respect and fondness for the University of Washington and appreciate the positive impact it has provided in my own life and career. I am honored by the opportunity to serve the University and the State of Washington as a member of the Board of Regents,” said Stiffarm. “Thank you to Governor Ferguson for entrusting me with this responsibility to help steward one of our state’s most vital public resources.”
The 11-member Board of Regents selects and oversees the work of the University president, manages the University’s property and investments, and sets University policy, among other duties. The board includes nine citizen members, one faculty member, and one student representative. Regents serve six-year terms. Stiffarm is the second native person to serve on the Board of Regents, after current Chair Leonard Forsman. She is an enrolled member of the Gros Ventre (Aaniiih/White Clay) Tribe.
Stiffarm’s appointment continues her longtime commitment to community service. She currently serves on the boards of United Way of King County and One Roof Foundation, and is a former board member of College Spark Washington, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Chief Seattle Club, among other organizations.
Stiffarm joined Pacifica as a partner in 2015, and assumed the role of the firm’s managing partner in 2023. She began her career and was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis and its successor firm, K&L Gates. Her practice focuses on land use and real estate-related work for public school districts, and other areas of municipal and education law.
Stiffarm joins current and previous Pacifica colleagues Faith Li Pettis and Jay Reich in service to Washington’s public institutions of higher education. Pettis currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University. Reich previously served on the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University, and as a trustee of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Washington State Senate.
